WARDOGS’ latest closed beta ended on Sunday morning, and I am genuinely mad about it. I am not angry because the game disappointed me. I am angry because I finally found a shooter that gave me the same kind of pull I felt during the early days of King of the Hill, then had to stop playing when many players were home and ready to jump in.
Ending a closed beta on Sunday morning feels backwards for a game that needs to measure how its servers and matches handle a busy weekend. I understand that tests have schedules, but this was the one day when keeping the beta online made the most sense. Instead, the game disappeared just as I was getting completely hooked.
The next scheduled opportunity arrives with the September 10 Early Access launch. That is not very far away, but after this beta, every day feels longer than it should.
WARDOGS brought back the King of the Hill feeling
I do not see WARDOGS as just another shooter. The game gave me the same kind of satisfaction I remember from Arma 3’s King of the Hill, which is why the King of the Hill comparison fits far better for me than reaching for Battlefield every time a game includes rifles, vehicles, and large battlefields.
Since the early days of KOTH, I cannot remember having this much fun in a game. I enjoyed every part of the beta, and I reached the point where I wanted the developers to let me keep playing even after the test was supposed to end. If the people at BULKHEAD are reading this, they already know where I stand. I want WARDOGS to succeed badly.
WARDOGS makes pilots matter
Helicopters are a major reason the game clicked with me. I love flying, but piloting in WARDOGS is not just about getting from one point to another. A good pilot watches what is happening around the zone, searches for a safe landing spot, and accepts responsibility for everyone in the aircraft.
Skilled pilots can put a helicopter down in a crowded area while bullets are coming from every direction, then get +5 players on the ground safely. That landing can give a team the bodies it needs to hold the zone. It takes calm decision-making, especially when the obvious landing spot is also the most dangerous one.
So, to every pilot out there, please know your limits. Do not take the helicopter if you cannot land it or if you are unwilling to bring people into a contested area. Making everyone parachute into danger can turn the trip into a suicide mission. I would much rather trust a pilot who can find a difficult landing zone than one who treats the aircraft like a disposable taxi.
Every role has a job
WARDOGS works for me because the match is not carried by one type of player. Pilots, ground troops, and everyone fighting for control of the zone all have responsibilities that feed into the same win. Respecting those roles makes the whole team stronger, and ignoring them can waste a good position before the enemy even has to take it.
That team structure is what kept pulling me back into another match. I was not ready for the beta to end, and I am still trying to understand why Sunday morning was chosen as the stopping point. I am invested enough at this stage to joke that I want WARDOGS to succeed more than its developers do.
With Early Access scheduled for September 10, tell us what you think about WARDOGS and its Sunday morning beta ending in the comments. You can also follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Wardogs
Developed by Bulkhead
